T@B400 Visor vs Awning

sunshine

I'm looking advice/suggestions on which to purchase for our T@B400 - the PahaQue awning or the Visor.   They are so expensive so I only want to purchase one of them.  Any suggestions?

ScottG

It depends what you are looking for and where/how you camp. The awning will provide better protection against wind and rain and is probably a little sturdier in that it can be fully staked to the ground. If you are more interested in shade with better airflow, than the visor should suit you.

I agree with you regarding the cost of owning both. Since some rain is almost guaranteed on every trip I take, I opted for the awning for my 320.

sunshine

Yes, that's exactly my dilemma!  I like having more of a view out of the window with nice air flow, BUT I also like being protected from the rain and wind!  Thanks so much for your suggestion.  I really do appreciate it!  We shall see what I end up with!

Tabaz

I have both and find the awning too much of a hassle to erect.  The XL Visor goes up fast and you don't have to mess around in the dirt with tent pegs.  In two years of camping, I've used the awning once.

ScottG

@sunshine, if you haven't done so already, you might check out this recent thread:

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/5917/new-awning#latest

It looks like the top of the awning (the part with the keder cord) for the 400 is the same as for the 320, but the sides come down lower. With the sides rolled up, the open space under the awning appears quite a bit greater on the 400 than on the 320.

(On the 320, the awning's keder cord fills the entire top rail.) 

Sharon_is_SAM

I think it may depend where you camp.  I can see the drier Southwest as requiring only shade, while in the wetter east you may benefit from more protection from the awning.  We are a rain magnet and would not be without our tent for our clamshell.

sunshine

Yes @ScottG - I had decided on the visor until I saw this picture of the awning!  Good to know @Tabaz .  Sounds like you have the experience of both!  My husband will most likely be the one putting it up, so I'll have to see what he is "willing" to do!

Justin_in_Seattle

We opted for the Visor and are super happy with it. Rationale: For me, if it takes more than 5 minutes to set up I'm not likely to bother with it... that's also a main reason why we abandoned tent camping in favor of RV camping.

From now on, if the weather is "iffy" then the Visor is the very first thing I set up outside, since it gives me a bit of shelter if it starts to rain while setting up camp (I learned this the hard way last weekend, when it started to rain halfway through my setup and hadn't erected the Visor yet.)  It takes less than 5 minutes for one person.

After a very heavy rain the Visor does get a bit waterlogged and starts to sag, but dries out quickly and regains its shape if the sun comes back out.

MNtabernacle

We went with the Visor XL - seems dimensionally to be the same product as the smaller T@B's. Very easy to install, and as Justin_in_Seattle noted, it will collect rainwater or a heavy dew on the corners and sag. We found it self empties when full enough - maybe a feature instead of a bug? Also, at our campsite we put a 12x12 popup canopy over the picnic table, so a bigger awing isn't needed.

Homebodyatheart

I seem to have a collection of many options, including the XL visor. I did get a 13x13 Coleman popup awning that has worked well! The leg dimensions are 10x10, and with help of another person or two it can be lifted over the T@b (front to back, leaving some shade in the front if you are camping without trees in full sun. I did need to tie it down to the T@b and a picnic table to keep it from taking flight when a strong wind came through. This campground does not allow stakes of any kind, so ball bungee's are still my best friend!

Jdcouple

We just got our XL Visor from pahaque and love it. Can't wait to get lights on it and have a beer. Super high quality.